The Case of Billy Frank Vickers

1197 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Racial disparities in the US judicial system

The Case of Billy Frank Vickers

According to the article, Prosecutors Doubt Inmate Confession True, by Angela K. Brown, Billy Frank Vickers, condemned inmate, received a lethal injection on Wednesday night January 28, 2004 for a 1993 murder after confessing that he was involved in about a dozen other crimes, including the shootings that placed a cloud of suspicion over Davis for three decades (Brown). Jack Strickland, a former prosecutor in the Davis case, said he had never heard of Vickers and that his claims were a last-ditch attempt to get attention and monkey around with the system. Now the question arises of whether lethal injection was the best option for punishing Billy Frank Vickers, not because he is innocent, but because of the question of whether it is humane to take away someone’s life by inserting chemicals into his or her body that may cause more pain than can ever be imagined. I personally believe that there is no justifiable reason to give someone the death penalty as a form of punishment.

In the minds of the American public and jurors in capital cases the perception of lethal injection is of a clean, clinical, and painless end. As stated in the article, Lethal Injection, seventy-one percent of those responding to a 2001 survey considered injection to be the least cruel form of execution (Lethal Injection). This perception is an advantage to the state because the public is much more willing to accept execution in this form and jurors are more willing to convict and pass the death sentence. At times it is understood why the death penalty would be considered in cases. Maybe the people are a threat to not only society but also to themselves, and need to be put to death so they can do no harm to anyone. Vickers gunned down a grocery store owner who was probably trying to make a living for himself and his family. Now this man is gone; his family is left in agony, and maybe Vickers deserves to die. Some people may say an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, but do two wrongs make a right?

Some people may consider the death penalty as inhumane. As stated in the article, Naked City, by Rita Radostitz, Texas uses three chemicals in the lethal injection process: sodium thiopental (an extremely short-term anesthetic), pancuronium bromide (which paralyses the diaphragm and other muscles so the inmate is unable to move or speak, even if he is in pain), and potassium chloride (which stops the heart).

Show More
Related

  • Mr. Arthur Hutchinson Case Summary

    311 Words  | 1 Pages

    The applicant Mr. Arthur Hutchinson was born in 1941. In October 1983, he broke into a house, murdered a man, his wife and their adult son. Then he repeatedly raped their 18-year old daughter, having first dragged her past her father’s body. After several weeks, he was arrested by the police and chargedwith the offences. During the trial he refused to accept the offence and pleaded for innocence. He denied accepting the killings and sex with the younger daughter.

    Read More

  • R V. Rogerson And Mcnamara Case Analysis

    611 Words  | 2 Pages

    The conviction of guilty offenders when adhering to the guidelines of the NSW criminal trial process is not difficult based on the presumption of innocence. However, due to features of the criminal trial process, established by the adversarial system of trial, cases can often involve copious amounts of time and money, particularly evident in the case of R vs Rogerson and McNamara where factors such as time and money are demonstrated to be in excess. In addition, characteristics of the adversarial system such as plea bargaining has the power to hinder convictions due to the accused having the authority to hire experienced and expensive lawyers to argue their case, hence maintaining their innocence.

    Read More

  • The Wrongful Conviction and Exoneration of David Milgaard

    1334 Words  | 3 Pages

    At the time of the murder of which David Milgaard was accused of committing he was just 16 years old. He was a hippie, constantly in trouble. Even before he was a teenager he was getting into trouble. His parents and teachers considered him impulsive; he resisted authority (Regina Leader Post, 1992, as cited in Anderson & Anderson 1998). He was removed from kindergarten because he was considered to be a negative influence on the other children. When he was thirteen he spent time in a psychiatric centre (Anderson & Anderson, 1998)

    Read More

  • The Sentencing of Butch and Willie Bosket

    2342 Words  | 5 Pages

    The similarities in the lives of this father and son are uncanny. I will look at the murders committed by both Butch and Willie. They both committed two murders. I will look at the correlation between the two men and the murders they committed. I will touch on their lives and their treatment at home. In addition, how that eventually affected them and the eventual murders they both committed. Their mother has sent them both away. They were both sent to the same juvenile detention centers at different times. This affected both men differently. The psychologists gave them the same diagnosis at different times, but no one realized this at the time. It is astonishing that there was no connection made between the two men. There was bound to be tragedy in their lives given the history in this family. Butch and Willie both committed heinous crimes, but for different reasons. I will look at why I think they killed and what sentences I believe they should have gotten for killing.

    Read More

  • David B. Muhlhausen's Article: How The Death Penalty Saves Lives

    869 Words  | 2 Pages

    “How the Death Penalty Saves Lives” According to DPIC (Death penalty information center), there are one thousand –four hundred thirty- eight executions in the United States since 1976. Currently, there are Two thousand –nine hundred –five inmates on death row, and the average length of time on death row is about fifteen years in the United States. The Capital punishment, which appears on the surface to the fitting conclusion to the life of a murder, in fact, a complicated issue that produces no clear resolution.; However, the article states it’s justice. In the article “How the Death Penalty Saves Lives” an author David B. Muhlhausen illustrates a story of Earl Ringo , Jr, brutal murder’s execution on September ,10,

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Bryan Stevenson's Close To Death: Reflections On Race And Capital Punishment

    1861 Words  | 4 Pages

    There have been cases where inmates suffer greatly when injected with the deadly concoction. In the guide, “From Critical Thinking to Argument” Zachary Shemtob and David Lat described a case where an inmate showed signs that he was in agonizing pain after being injected with the mixture. Lat and Shemtob wrote, “When another Georgia inmate, Roy Blankenship, was executed in June, the prisoner jerked his head, grimaced, gasped, and lurched, according to a medical expert’s affidavit” (62). Could you imagine being a witness to that? It makes the belief that capital punishment is even more wrong than it was before. Additionally, our eighth amendment is supposed to protect us from cruel and unusual punishment. Blankenship was certainly not given that right. Our government needs to realize that the death penalty extinguishes our protection from cruel and unusual

    Read More

  • Analysis Of A Death In Texas

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1982, the state of Texas became the first jurisdiction in the world to carry out an execution by lethal injection. Leaving many in the US and around the world to voice their opinion of should the death penalty be a form of punishment for taking the life of someone. Individuals who are against the death penalty argue, that putting someone to death continues the cycle of senseless murdering. However, others who are for the death penalty argues that those who take a life should face the consequences of committing a murder. In the short story A Death in Texas, Steve Earle tells of the life, the murders committed and the execution of his friend Jonathan Noble on

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of James Rachel's Means Of Euthanasia

    801 Words  | 2 Pages

    The reason for this is due to the fact that the child is curable, all the child would need is to have surgery to make them all better. So the AMA would never permit it because the child is not facing death. The main reason why the child would even have to die by the parents thinking is because they just have down syndrome. Which with the doctors say in the matter seems to be pushing the parents into making this decision. When in fact it should be up to the parents only. So if the parent’s decided to let the child die then they are intentionally killing the child which has nothing to do with euthanasia. When reading this I felt that Rachels is talking about morals and what is right and wrong thing to do. Like is it okay to just let a infant die from something that is curable just because they have down syndrome, or let them live like that for the rest of their

    Read More

  • Oliver Osborn Research Paper

    776 Words  | 2 Pages

    “'It is a strange route to take, but at the end of the day, when you're up against the wall, when surgery is not an option, it's got to be something to consider….When other medication isn’t working, it’s something we’ve got to go for…. At the end of the day you want what’s best for your child and for them to be with you for as long as possible.” Source

    Read More

  • The Death Penalty

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    The death penalty continues to be an issue of controversy and is an issue that will be debated in the United States for many years to come. According to Hugo A. Bedau, the writer of “The Death Penalty in America”, capital punishment is the lawful infliction of the death penalty. The death penalty has been used since ancient times for a variety of offenses. The Bible says that death should be done to anyone who commits murder, larceny, rapes, and burglary. It appears that public debate on the death penalty has changed over the years and is still changing, but there are still some out there who are for the death penalty and will continue to believe that it’s a good punishment. I always hear a lot of people say “an eye for an eye.” Most people feel strongly that if a criminal took the life of another, their’s should be taken away as well, and I don’t see how the death penalty could deter anyone from committing crimes if your going to do the crime then at that moment your not thinking about being on death role. I don’t think they should be put to death they should just sit in a cell for the rest of their life and think about how they destroy other families. A change in views and attitudes about the death penalty are likely attributed to results from social science research. The changes suggest a gradual movement toward the eventual abolition of capital punishment in America (Radelet and Borg, 2000).

    Read More

  • Death Penalty Position Paper

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” is how the saying goes. Coined by the infamous Hammurabi’s Code around 1700 BC, this ancient expression has become the basis of a great political debate over the past several decades – the death penalty. While the conflict can be whittled down to a matter of morals, a more pragmatic approach shows defendable points that are far more evidence backed. Supporters of the death penalty advocate that it deters crime, provides closure, and is a just punishment for those who choose to take a human life. Those against the death penalty argue that execution is a betrayal of basic human rights, an ineffective crime deterrent, an economically wasteful option, and an outdated method. The debate has experienced varying levels of attention over the years, but has always kept in the eye of the public. While many still advocate for the continued use of capital punishment, the process is not the most cost effective, efficient, consistent, or up-to-date means of punishment that America could be using today.

    Read More

  • Speech: Against Capital Punishment

    1171 Words  | 3 Pages

    It must be remembered that criminals are real people too, which have. life and with it, the feeling of pain, fear and the loss of their loved ones and all the other emotions that the rest of us feel. There is no such thing as a humane way of putting someone to death. Every type of execution causes the prisoner physical suffering, some. methods perhaps cause less than others, but be in no doubt that being.

    Read More

  • Schools of Art in Different Places of India Establish by the British Empire

    2758 Words  | 6 Pages

    ...cepted, particularly as exhibitions of the works from Japan and China was also organised. Lord Kitchener of the Fort William, Calcutta was the first president of the society. The two successive Governors of Bengal, Lord Carmichael and Lord Ronaldshay, industrialists and civilians like Norman Blount, Edward Thirtan were the main members, among the Indian members were A. N. Tagore, G. N. Tagore, Surendranath Tagore, artists Jamini Prakash Ganguly and art critic O. C. Ganguly. The main objective of the society was to mount exhibitions of Indian art and to hold discussions on art. In 1920, Indian Society of Oriental Art brought out an art journal under the editorship of O.C. Ganguly called “Rupam”. The Orientalists were still rooting for Indian painting and “Rupam” promoted works of art in the same way that “Prabasi” and “Modern Review” did in earlier decades.

    Read More

  • The Judiciary: The Judicial System Of The United States

    842 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Judiciary is not only a branch but a system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary system also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes. In some places across the globe the judiciary branch does not make the law nor enforce the law, instead they interpret the law and apply it to each individual case that it needs to be applied to. The Judicial branch of our government is not only the Supreme Court but also the federal courts. One of their many jobs is to explain the laws and figure out if it is a part of the constitution. According to Article III of the Constitution of the United States it says and I quote, “Every person accused of wrongdoing has the right to a fair trial before a competent judge and a jury of one’s peers.” So this is another reasons why we have the judicial system in place so that everyone has a fair chance, in a court of law. These are just some of the things that the judiciary system

    Read More

  • Moral Morality And Morality

    1093 Words  | 3 Pages

    They did not follow through with what the parents ask because a Florida law states you can’t remove organs until the donor is dead. Although it would be sad to kill Baby Theresa to give her organs away, I would agree with her parents and physicians because she does not have long to live and will never be conscious so why not take the good organs and give them to another baby that could live. Ethicist disagreed with the parents and the physician because they said “it’s wrong to use people as means to other people’s ends”, they are saying by taking her organs you would be using her to help other people 's children. When you’re using somebody it means to violate their autonomy, Baby Theresa has no autonomy so there’s no way to violate it. People can’t always decide for themselves, when she could not decide for herself you need to think “what would be in her best interest?” either way Baby Theresa would die so there’s really not a best interest for her. Ethicists also said “it 's wrong to kill one person to save another”, if you killed Baby Theresa to

    Read More

More about The Case of Billy Frank Vickers

Open Document